Sanan Keisuke
"His mood had been so bleak lately that the atmosphere around him seemed to darken when he spoke derisively about himself, and anyone who talked to him became depressed." Sanan Keisuke, '''known as '''Keisuke Sanan '''in the localization, is a character in Hakuōki. In Hakuōki: Kyoto Winds ''and ''Edo Blossoms, he is also one of Chizuru's potential love interests. Sanan is one of the Vice-Commanders of the Shinsengumi, referred to as the Colonel in the localization. After he drinks the Water of Life, he leads the Fury Corps. Personality Sanan is intelligent, dutiful, and headstrong. Though he appears kind and gentle on the surface, Hijikata refers to him as "the scariest of all of us". This likely refers to the fact that he has a severe side when angered, and his lectures and tongue-lashings are intense. Additionally, he has a habit of subtly trying to get a rise out of people, especially Hijikata. However, despite his understated mischief, Sanan is at heart a pacifist. He states early on that the Shinsengumi "would ill serve the public good by murdering civilians in cold blood", and later objects to forcing the monks of Nishi Hongwanji aside to make room for a barracks, despite all other advantages. After his arm is injured, Sanan becomes self-loathing and passive-aggressive, frequently mentioning his wound and/or putting himself down. During this time, he becomes so irritable that the other members of the Shinsengumi start avoiding him. He is also abnormally sensitive to Itou's snide remarks, as he feels that he has been replaced. Following his transformation into a fury, Sanan is consumed with fervor for his various discoveries at several points, most prominently the fact that Chizuru's demon blood might be usable in some experiments with the Water of Life. In some routes, such as Heisuke's, this zealotry consumes him, and he goes mad. In others, such as Hijikata's, he masters it, but may feign the same obsession for his own reasons. Background Sanan is based on the historical figure of the same name, 'Sannan Keisuke, '''although he is sometimes referred to as '''Yamanami Keisuke '''due to the discrepancy between the ''on-yomi ''and ''kun-yomi ''readings of the characters in his name. He is the second son of a samurai from Sendai, and (in Hijikata's and Heisuke's routes) later uses this connection to his advantage. At some point, Sanan entered Shiei Hall and met his fellow future Shinsengumi officers. In ''Hakuōki: Stories of the Shinsengumi ''See also: Sanan Keisuke/Route'' Sanan starts out as a protagonist, but later becomes an antagonist in Saito's and Heisuke's routes, and is the main villain in the latter. Chapter 1 Meeting the Shinsengumi Sanan is first encountered during Chizuru's introduction to the rest of the Shinsengumi officers. Though he is aware of the possibility that she may have to die for what she saw, he initially tries to reassure her. However, he later takes a neutral stance on Chizuru's execution, pointing out that even if Hijikata is correct and she was a victim of circumstance, their enemies could still torture her for information. Escape or Explanation Choice If Chizuru tries to escape after Saito takes her back to her room, Sanan will appear alongside Kondou, Hijikata, and Okita to warn her against running, although he does not directly attempt to stop her. Upon discovering her true gender, he does not appear to be surprised. If Chizuru stays instead of continuing to run, he suggests that the captains reconvene to review this new information. Chizuru's Story Sanan is not particularly affected by the revelation that Chizuru is a girl, as he believes that "killing in general is wrong", regardless of gender. After she mentions her father, Yukimura Kodo, Sanan points out that Chizuru presents an advantage to the Shinsengumi, since his daughter is much more familiar with his appearance and behavior than the captains. Hijikata agrees, and it is decided that Chizuru will stay with the Shinsengumi. Hijikata then suggests making her someone's page, asking Kondou and Sanan if either of them need an assistant. However, Okita insists that it was Hijikata's idea, so he should take her on himself. Kondou and Sanan both agree, although Sanan is implied to have done so just to annoy Hijikata. Some time later, Sanan explains to Chizuru that she must continue crossdressing for as long as she stays with the Shinsengumi, because the presence of a woman in the compound could "disrupt morale, so to speak". News From Osaka Later that week, Sanan and Hijikata depart for Osaka on business. While there, Sanan investigates a report of several ronin harassing a cloth merchant. He successfully drives them off, but his left arm is gravely wounded in the process, leaving him unable to wield a sword. Inoue delivers the news to Kondou, the captains, and Chizuru. Shinsengumi Adventures 1 A few months later, after Chizuru finishes setting up the dining hall for breakfast, Sanan apologizes on behalf of the Shinsengumi for giving her chores, even though she is supposed to be a guest. Chizuru assures him that she gets uneasy without anything to occupy her time, but Sanan expresses regret that he is "unable even to assist her with carrying the trays". When Chizuru attempts to reassure him that a colonel is too important to do menial chores, Sanan interrupts that his title is meaningless without his ability as a warrior. Before Chizuru can respond, Inoue arrives and asks where everyone else is. Sanan says pointedly that he would not know, as he no longer frequents the training room due to his injury. After Inoue asks Chizuru to check on Heisuke, Sanan asks Chizuru to stop by Hijikata's room since he was up late last night doing paperwork. After she does as he asks and returns with Hijikata, Sanan defends his choice to use a civilian as a messenger by stating that his concern "truly was not unnecessary". After breakfast, Sanan requests that Chizuru remain behind for the usual captains' meeting so that she can meet the Watch. Following Kondou and Hijikata's briefing, Sanan leads into Chizuru's involvement and requests that she explain her circumstances to Shimada and Yamazaki. After this, he reiterates that "secrecy is their highest priority", warning them not to let any sensitive information fall into the wrong hands. Later that day, Sanan is in a meeting with Kondou and Hijikata when a cat starts causing trouble in the compound. In his sub-route, Chizuru tries to help Heisuke distract the three officers, but Hijikata and Sanan are suspicious. When Chizuru insists they are not hiding anything but does not contribute to Heisuke's cover story, Hijikata begins interrogating Heisuke. Sanan then requests that Chizuru bring some snacks from the kitchen, saying he will show her where to find them. He escorts her out of the room, suggesting that they stay away until Hijikata calms down. When Chizuru asks why he helped her, Sanan says that she is not at fault, and only Heisuke need be punished. He advises Chizuru to mention her orders from Hijikata next time someone tries to use her, and if that fails, to say that Sanan will be displeased. After Chizuru thanks him, Sanan invites her for tea in his room. Toudou Memories of Love 1 (Heisuke's route) Sanan appears to interrupt a conversation between Heisuke and Chizuru, telling the former that Hijikata is looking for him. Heisuke reluctantly responds to the summons, leaving Sanan and Chizuru alone. When Chizuru asks Sanan why Hijikata wanted to see Heisuke, Sanan explains that Hijikata intends to scold him for shirking his duties and that he will most likely "be made an example of". When Chizuru remarks that she has rarely seen Heisuke on his own, Sanan explains that he was probably worried about her, then departs. The Ikeda Incident Choice If Chizuru remains in the compound instead of going out on patrol, she goes to the courtyard in an attempt to cool off, and Sanan overhears her talking about her father's possible relationship with the Shinsengumi. When she asks if he is all right, he explains coldly that he is not an invalid and rhetorically asks whether Chizuru is allowed out of her room. He warns her that roaming the headquarters without permission makes her seem suspicious. Before returning to her room, Chizuru tells him to take care of himself, and he returns the sentiment more genuinely. Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Hijikata's route Okita's route Saito's route Heisuke's route Sanan is the main antagonist. Harada's route Kazama's route In Hakuōki: Kyoto Winds Sanan's involvement in the plot is largely the same as in the first half of Stories of the Shinsengumi, with the following exceptions. Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Final Chapter In Hakuōki: Edo Blossoms Sanan's involvement in the plot is largely the same as in the second half of Stories of the Shinsengumi, with the following exceptions. Chapter 1 The first section has Sanan try to convince HIjikata, who has just returned from the Kama Inn, to allow the Fury Corps to patrol Edo during the night as a means to help restore morale and purpose after the defeat at Fushimi Magistrate, with Sanan stating that it has "Festered into a plague of bitter apathy." Sanan believes this will also help improve their reputation in Edo. Hijikata agrees to it. Chizuru, who has been listening in their conversation, asks Sanan if he really believes this to be a good idea once Hijikata has left, and she elaborates that Sanan has been working really hard as of late during both daytime and nighttime hours on the water of life, so adding more tasks on top of that seems a bit excesive. Sanan waves off her worries, however, reminding her that they've lost people along the way, and that this is why he must continue to research the water of life. This echoes his feelings at the end of Kyoto Winds. Chizuru comes up with an idea to help Sanan, and so they embark to the Yukimura house in search of clues about the water of life's creation and a potential cure of its effects. As they arrive, however, Chizuru finds nothing obvious. It's only when Sanan lifts up a floorboard that they find some hidden documents. This leads to the revelation that one of the water of life's ingredients is nothing other than blood from authentic Western European demons (known there as vampires, as seen later on). After researching up until midnight, they find the composition for a temporary medicine for the fury bloodlust. Here the player has the option to say either; "We could rid the furies of the bloodlust", or "We can revert the serum's effects". The latter will increase romance with Sanan, and prompt him to say that perhaps this could prove incredibly useful to those who came to regret their decision or grew exhausted by their current, new life. Before Chizuru can inquire Sanan's own feelings on the matter, he closes the book he was looking at and both of them leave the residence. They share few words as they return to Kama Inn, and they prepare the medicine to counter the bloodlust. Sanan then experiences bloodlust himself, and the player has the three standard choices to "Give him blood", "Give him the medicine", or "Make him endure it". Only the first will lead to a good ending eventually. Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Final Chapter In other routes Hijikata's route Okita's route Saito's route Heisuke's route Harada's route Nagakura's route Yamazaki's route Iba's route Sanan appears at the beginning, granting Chizuru approval to search her old home with Iba for anything Kodo left behind of the Furies, though he doubts they will find anything. Hijikata later reveals that Sanan and Heisuke both died in Sendai. Souma's route Sanan does not appear in this route, but Hijikata reveals his death upon reuniting with Chizuru, Souma, and Nomura. Sakamoto's route Sanan and Heisuke accompany Chizuru and Sakamoto to Sendai to stop Kodo. They deal with the Tosa furies while Chizuru and Sakamoto confront Nakaoka. Afterwards, they order the couple to flee while they handle Kodo. The three are not seen or mentioned again, but it is unlikely they survived. Kazama's route Following Chizuru's separation from the Shinsengumi, Sanan is not seen again, but Amagiri reveals his death to Chizuru. In Hakuōki: Sweet School Life ''Main article: Sanan Keisuke/SSL'' In the anime In the musicals ''Main article: Sanan Keisuke/HakuMyu'' Sanan is portrayed by Mikata Ryosuke in HakuMyu Hijikata-hen through Toudou-hen; and by Teruma in HakuMyu Reimeiroku, Harada-hen, and Hijikata-hen 2. Gallery ''Main article: 'Sanan Keisuke/Gallery Quotes * "I apologize for all of this frightening behavior. Please, don't give them the pleasure of unsettling you." (Chapter 1, to Chizuru) * "Oh, my… Well, that was rather bold. You meant to run away, I assume?" (Chapter 1, to Chizuru) * "Why don't we just wait for all of this to blow over? Hijikata will get tired of yelling at some point. His voice may give out first, but… Well, we'll see." (Shinsengumi Adventures 1, to Chizuru) Trivia * When citing members of the Shinsengumi with "sense in their brains", Sanan mentions Saito and Harada first. He considers Saito's input to be particularly valuable, which may explain why he is surprised when Saito sides with Chizuru more than once, such as his statement that "Chizuru has hardly proven to be a burden thus far" when Sanan reproaches her desire to accompany the Shinsengumi into danger. Category:Characters Category:Historically based characters Category:Male characters Category:Humans Category:Furies Category:Shinsengumi members Category:Protagonists Category:Allies Category:Antagonists